How has having children impacted on the cleanliness in your home? Share your stories with Cif to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Cif have asked us to find out whether having children has had an impact on your family's cleaning habits.

Here's what Cif have to say: "We all know that children see the home as a playground, and playgrounds get dirty. But we also understand how difficult it can be to clean up after your child, so we want to help make that process as easy as possible."

Do you and your DP/DH (if applicable) find yourselves doing more cleaning since you've had children? Or less? How have things changed post children in this regard? Do you find yourself looking for the anti-bac cleaning products now or were you always partial to this type of product? If your home gets cleaned more now, is it more likely to be a quick clean here and there to tidy up after teatime etc? Or is it do regular deep cleans as well/instead? Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? Or – has nothing changed?!

We'd love to hear your views. Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

Please note your comments may be used by CIF on their pages on MN and possibly elsewhere (anon of course) please only add your comment if you’re happy with this.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[littlemonkeychops]

I agree with lots of posters above, our house is definitely messier, but not necessarily dirtier. Pre DCs i worked full time whereas now i'm at home more it's easier to do cleaning up as i go along. Dear god the mess though!!

[BellaVida]

I am in constant awe at the amount and sheer variation of mess and dirt my 4 children make! Scuffs on walls, grubby fingers around light switches and on doors, toothpaste drips on the floors and I even once found yoghurt on the stairs (how??).
I do whirlwind cleaning blitzes between school/ nursery runs, shopping, ferrying them all to and from their various activities etc etc. The house is clean and I pay particular attention to the bathrooms and kitchens, which tend to suffer the most.
I tend to use a few products which are multi-surface and always buy the family size versions when they are on offer. I don't buy special cleaning wipes as they are too expensive- baby wipes are great for a lot of things and much much cheaper! I use anti-bac surface sprays and hand soap, but I always have done.
So, in essence, I keep the house clean, mostly tidy, but if anyone were to come to do a close-up feature on my house, I would want a week's notice. Thanks!

[BornToFolk]

I, too, agree with the "messier but cleaner" view. I clean more often now than I did pre-DS. We used to do a big clean at the weekend but I don't often have time for that now. Plus if I left it all to the weekend I'd be covered in a pile of laundry and the carpets would be lost under a sea of biscuit crumbs! So, little and often works best for now.

I don't so much look for convenience products as much as things that actually work! When I do a quick clean, I don't want to have to do it again tomorrow because the cleaning product is crap. Anti-bac wipes are my guilty pleasure. I know they are shocking for the environment but they really can't be beaten for a quick clean.

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

Since having children my home is much dirtier and more untidy, despite the fact that I do a lot more cleaning
I tend to be more of a little-and-often kind of cleaner, whereas DH tends to do fuck all very little until he reaches breaking point and does his own version of a deep clean. (he's not afraid of hard work or cleaning, but he's not exactly efficient).
I sometimes do buy wipes if they're on promotion, because it makes a quick clean so much easier. I find that since we've had to hide away the cleaning bottles a quick clean becomes a little bit more of a chore. That and the fact that DH has locked the mop and bucket in the shed and lost the key.
I've never specifically looked for antibacterial products. I'm not trying to create a sterile environment. (fairly obvious if you see my home).

[MimsyBorogroves]

The children don't make much mess aside from clothes (washing) and toys (tidying up). The main problem me have is from Old Dog who perpetually moults. We could vacuum twice a day and still be witness to doghair tumble weeds.

I'm much better at cleaning the kitchen etc now I have children. Our dishwasher means plates are clean (or if dirty, hiding in there!) and it's an essential for me now.

DH is addicted to antibacterial spray! That's his essential item.

[3birthdaybunnies]

My house is far messier than before children. I do more cleaning but there is still far more to do. Now that they are beginning to edge towards school I have a bit more time to dig down through the 8yrs of clutter. I don't tend to use wipes, just spray, cloth and elbow grease! I do sometimes let the dc loose with some baby wipes and get them to dust though. A cleaning product which is safe for delicate hands and which encourages them to clean up would be good - maybe with associated cbeebies programme!

[MmeLindor]

Not really, but finding Mumsnet had a very definite negative impact on the cleanliness of my home.

[bluebump]

Much messier but just as clean. I am better at getting more done in less time that's for sure!

[smokinaces]

Having two boys who are now ks1/2 the house is a constant stream of toys, muddy footprints and crumbs. Hoovering has become a daily occurance, yet time to deep clean has disappeared. Baby wipes have become my closest friend - quick wipe round the bath, quick wipe of the table, quick dust of the tv. There's just too much stuff to clean properly nowadays!!

The only place to see bleach or proper cleaning stuff is the toilet and bathroom. And that's not nearly as often as it should be!

[Theincidental]

The house is messier post children, but it's more the accumulation of stuff than dirt.

I cook more now, so the kitchen needs more attention with cleaning products. Anti bac spray is in regular use there.

The carpets also get more dirty, do need frequent cleaning up. Wipes are useful for minor spills.

[VivaLeThrustBadger]

Having a child definitely made my house messier and dirtier. Crumbs, mud, grass, etc. I seem to have the vacuum out all the time, and the anti bacterial wipes. I blitz the bad spots as and when they look awful (every day somewhere) and then more thorough cleaning at the weekend.

I thought it was bad and then I got a dog! An unhouse trained dog at that! I've had to buy a carpet shampooer things are so bad!

[ShebaQueen]

I definitely clean more now. I have two teenage boys and they are really untidy and they leave the kitchen and bathroom looking like a bombsite plus I know their rooms are bad when I can't get the doors open because there are so many clothes on the floor.

I work full time and commute so I tend to do lots of cleaning at the weekend and then a bit each evening to try and keep on top of things. I hate spending my time off cleaning and would love to have a cleaner but am trying to make sure DH and my boys share the load - easier said than done - I've had to lower my standards to accept their version of clean!

[SalBeautyMoll]

Teenage dd's room is a tip but gets blitzed occasionally. When she was young and I didn't sleep well for nearly two years I'm afraid standards did slip pretty badly

I believe in having things like food prep really hygienic, and loos, but also believe a bit of dust and dirt elsewhere actually contribute to a healthy immune system

[StainlessSteelCat]

definitely messier, but better organised and cleaned more regularly. floors especially getting more hoovered once first child arrived, upping to daily when crawling /toddling. youngest is now 2 and I'm finally able to ease off the daily Hoover. kitchen and bathroom both cleaned far more and better, but that's been helped by having both rooms ripped out and redone from plaster up. both designed with being able to clean quickly in mind.

also, I use less bleach and try to use fewer strong chemicals in general.

[GaryBuseysTeeth]

Ds2 is 2 months, the kitchen floor has not been scrubbed (it's been sweeped) in two months! Tackling it this weekend.

We tend to do bare minimum cleaning (dishes, ironing) in the week & then one of us does a 'deep clean' on the weekend.

Never used antibac products, never will (that new Dettol antibac laundry detergent sounds ridiculous).

[SmokedMackerel]

Untidier...though I try to put all the toys away every evening before relaxing.

Area under the table and high chair need sweeping and mopping after every meal.

I use baby wipes for quick wipe downs of everything.

[Coldcuppacoffee]

Sadly I am learning to live with the constant mess of having two children. The thing that gets me is that, because we are home all day, it's worst than it ever was.
But someone once told
L

[Purplehonesty]

Hmm cleaner I think. We moved into a much bigger house and because dd was crawling I banished the dogs to the kennels and the utility room. We also installed things like solid oak floors downstairs so carpets didn't get messy and spills can easily be mopped up.
So there is less cleaning to do and i love not having to hoover every half hour to get rid of dog hair but I am more conscious of making sure things are hygienic.
I too need to do my skirting boards and velux windows more often, but life gets in the way.
Baby wipes and cleaning the bathroom while the dc are in the bath is the way forward!

[KeepTryin]

Definitely cleaner with more regular cleaning going on. Definitely less tidy!
I started using the cif antibacterial spray when I was pregnant as I tried it when it was on offer and changed from dettol to cif as I liked the smell it left. However, now I'm finding it catches in my throat at bit. I was wondering if the formula had changed. I now only use it for the final clean of the kitchen and highchair after DD is in bed.
I mop and Hoover downstairs daily now. DD is nearly crawling so I want to get into the habit of having clean floors. Was lucky if it was fortnightly before!

[Iloveredvelvetcake]

Definitely do more cleaning now since I had DD who is now 3. I'm forever tidying up as there's so much toddler clutter everywhere! In the early days it did suffer as I was so tired and just couldn't find the motivation to do it and the worse it got, the less inclined I was to clean. I think it all changed when DD started crawling.

[Snog]

Having kids doesn't make our house dirty, the real difference was getting one small cat. She sheds hair 365 days a year and cat litter sticks to her paws, plus she claws up the carpet to shreds.
Result: non stop hovering!

[CheapBread]

I clean about the same, tidy a million times more but there tends to be a build up of dirt on chair backs and under the table and I seem to have a tide mark about 2 foot up along every wall! I try to make sure food is kept at the table and I use a bottle of 50p disinfectant diluted in a spray bottle, lasts ages, much cheaper than new ready made spray bottles. Yes to babywipes but I always get 'environmental guilt'...

[CousinArnold]

My house is fairly tidy but is never as clean as I would like. It's tricky with a toddler! Difficult to fit cleaning in with everything else that needs doing - and no sooner is it clean than said toddler comes along and messes it up again! Use anti-bac stuff more now - particularly in the kitchen and bathroom (and especially since starting potty training!). Do more 'little and often' cleaning with a thorough 'spring clean' occasionally. Usually on a day off work when little one is in nursery.

[mumsbe]

My home is less tidy and less organised now oits not dirty though. I clean the bathroom and kitchen more than the rest of the house. I used to get the whole house done in one day now i do one room a day and general tidy and clean. I try to sort through things that are out grown monthly to stop clutter you can only do your best playing with the kids is more important